Hospital Steamer Crescent City, 1863.

Due to the massive numbers of sick and wounded soldiers in the U.S. Army, the U.S. States Sanitary Commission was created June 13, 1861 to assist the Army Medical Bureau. However, following the Battle of Wilson's Creek, every hospital ward in St. Louis was filled, and humane care of the wounded was lacking. As a result, the Union citizens of St. Louis with the help of Mrs. Jessie Benton Fremont and the St. Louis Ladies Union Aid Society made known their resolution to see that the government provide better health care of its sick and wounded west of the Mississippi. As a result, the Western Sanitary Commission was established on Sept. 5, 1861.

The following steamers were converted as floating hospitals and served as part of the Western Sanitary Commission hospital fleet : "City of Louisiana", set out on March 20, 1862, later renamed the "R. C. Wood"; the "D. A. January"; the "Empress"; the "Imperial"; the "Crescent City"; the "Red Rover"; the "City of Alton"; the "City of Memphis"; the "Nashville".

The following men are of the Iowa Infantry regiments, and died on the steamer

1. David M. Slife, Ninth, Iowa Infantry, Co. K., Died of Scarlet fever, April 28, 1863.

2. Charles M. Skinner, Twelfth, Iowa Infantry, Co. G., Died July 10, 1863.

3. William H. Jackson, Twenty-First, Iowa Infantry, Co. K., Died July 4, 1863.

4. Charles P. Baker, Twenty-Second, Iowa Infantry, Co. C., Died of disease July 22, 1863.

5. Thomas W. Myers, Twenty-Second, Iowa Infantry, Co. C., Died of disease July 22, 1863.

6. Isaac Mock, Twenty-Second, Iowa Infantry, Co. D., Died July 18, 1863.

7. Franklin Loy, Twenty-Third, Iowa Infantry, Co. F., Died of disease July 17, 1863.